Land Off Bradfords Lane Newent Gloucestershire Archaeological Evaluation
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Land off Bradfords Lane Newent Gloucestershire Archaeological Evaluation for WYG Environment on behalf of Kodiak Ltd CA Project: 6560 CA Report: 18168 March 2018 Land off Bradfords Lane Newent Gloucestershire Archaeological Evaluation CA Project: 6560 CA Report: 18168 Document Control Grid Revision Date Author Checked by Status Reasons for Approved by revision A 20/03/2018 D Sausins C Bateman C Bateman This report is confidential to the client. Cotswold Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability to any third party to whom this report, or any part of it, is made known. Any such party relies upon this report entirely at their own risk. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means without permission. © Cotswold Archaeology © Cotswold Archaeology Land off Bradfords Lane, Newent, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation CONTENTS SUMMARY .....................................................................................................................2 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................3 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND................................................................3 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES...................................................................................5 4. METHODOLOGY...............................................................................................5 5. RESULTS (FIGS 2-4).........................................................................................6 6. THE FINDS ........................................................................................................6 8. DISCUSSION.....................................................................................................7 9. CA PROJECT TEAM..........................................................................................8 10. REFERENCES...................................................................................................8 APPENDIX A: CONTEXT DESCRIPTIONS ....................................................................9 APPENDIX B: THE FINDS..............................................................................................10 APPENDIX C: OASIS REPORT FORM ..........................................................................11 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (1:25,000) Fig. 2 Trench location plan showing archaeological features and geophysical survey results (1:750) Fig. 3 Trench 4: section (1:20) and photograph Fig. 4 Photographs 1 © Cotswold Archaeology Land off Bradfords Lane, Newent, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation SUMMARY Project Name: Land off Bradfords Lane Location: Newent, Gloucestershire NGR: 371442 225976 Type: Evaluation Date: 14-16 March 2018 Planning Reference: Forest of Dean District Council ref: P1564/17/OUT Location of Archive: To be deposited with Museum of Gloucester Site Code: BRLN 18 An archaeological evaluation was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology in March 2018 on land off Bradfords Lane, Newent, Gloucestershire. Six trenches were excavated. Colluvium, formed within a natural coombe, was recorded in the north-east of site from which heavily abraded medieval and post-medieval pottery as well as ceramic building material was recovered. An undated feature, most probably a pit or ditch terminal, was identified in the north of site sealed by subsoil. 2 © Cotswold Archaeology Land off Bradfords Lane, Newent, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 In March 2018 Cotswold Archaeology (CA) carried out an archaeological evaluation for WYG Environmental, on behalf of Kodiak Ltd, on land off Bradfords Lane, Newent, Gloucestershire (centred at NGR: 371442 225976; Fig. 1). The evaluation was undertaken to accompany a planning application submitted to Forest of Dean District Council (FODDC; Planning Reference P1564/17/OUT) for residential development at the site. It was recommended by Charles Parry, Archaeologist, Gloucestershire County Council; archaeological advisor to FODDC. 1.2 The evaluation was carried out in accordance with a detailed Written Scheme of Investigation (WSI) produced by WYG Environment (2018) and with a subsequent Project Design (PD) produced by CA (2018). Both documents were approved by Charles Parry. The fieldwork also followed Standard and guidance: Archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014). It was monitored by Charles Parry, including a site visit on 15 March 2018. The site 1.3 The proposed development site is located on the eastern boundaries of Newent, Gloucestershire. It comprises a single pasture field totalling 2.7 hectares. It is bound to the east and north-east by Bradfords Lane, to the north by B4221 Ross Road, and to the west and south-west by the driveway to Mantley Chase. The site elevation ranges between 45m above Ordnance Datum (aOD) towards the northern edge of the proposed development to 50m aOD at its southern extent. 1.4 The underlying bedrock geology of the area is mapped as Helsby Sandstone Formation - Mudstone. Sedimentary Bedrock from the Triassic Period (BGS 2018). No superficial drift geology is recorded within the proposed development area (ibid.). Silts, clay and mudstone was identified in each of the trenches. 2. ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 The archaeological and historical background of the site has been assessed in an Archaeological Appraisal (WYG 2017a) that has been supplemented by a Heritage Statement (WYG 2017b), the latter dealing exclusively with the built heritage 3 © Cotswold Archaeology Land off Bradfords Lane, Newent, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation resource. In addition, the site has been subject to a geophysical survey (Sumo 2017). The following is a summary these investigations. 2.2 The Assessment noted that the site does not contain any designated ‘heritage assets’, such as scheduled monuments, listed buildings, or registered historic parks and gardens. In addition, it also noted the absence of Early prehistoric assets within and adjacent to the current site, excepting stray finds including a potential Mesolithic microlith from Wyatt’s Farm and a sickle blade discovered at Conigree Court, immediately south-west of the proposed development (WYG 2017a). 2.3 A Neolithic axehead was also found in the grounds of Conigree Court as has one from Oxenhall, to the north of the site. Fieldwork from fields to the south of Newent Community School also note a number of Neolithic flints, including an arrowhead (ibid.). 2.4 Identified Bronze Age activity in the area is limited to a palstave axe discovered to the north of Newent. There is one asset that may possibly date to the Iron Age within the immediate area. It has been proposed that Newent Court may represent the exiguous traces of an Iron Age hillfort, although it may be a misidentification of post-medieval earthworks related to quarrying activity and the construction of the Hereford and Gloucester canal (ibid.). 2.5 There is currently only limited evidence for Romano-British activity close to the current site. Romano-British pottery was identified in a ditch during the course of an archaeological evaluation at the south end of Newent. An early 4th-century coin has also been reported from Bury Bar, again at the south end of Newent. In addition, more 3rd and 4th-century coins have been found during metal-detecting in the fields south of Newent Community School (ibid.). 2.6 Newent, is first recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book, although it is presumed that the current site was located its agricultural hinterland. Post-medieval pottery was recovered during evaluation works near the current site, on the north side of Ross Road. Alongside this, numerous post medieval metalwork fittings, tokens and other artefacts have been recovered from fields in the course of metal-detecting to the south of the proposed development site. 4 © Cotswold Archaeology Land off Bradfords Lane, Newent, Gloucestershire: Archaeological Evaluation 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 3.1 The objectives of the evaluation were to provide information about the archaeological resource within the site, including its presence/absence, character, extent, date, integrity, state of preservation and quality, in accordance Standard and guidance: Archaeological field evaluation (CIfA 2014). This information will enable FODDC to identify and assess the particular significance of any heritage asset, consider the impact of the proposed development upon it, and to avoid or minimise conflict between the heritage asset’s conservation and any aspect of the development proposal, in line with the National Planning Policy Framework (DCLG 2012). 4. METHODOLOGY 4.1 The fieldwork comprised the excavation of six trenches, each measuring 50m in length, 1.9m in width and representing a 2% sample of the site, in the locations shown on the attached plan (Fig. 2). Part of Trench 2 remained unexcavated due to a buried telecoms cable. The trenches were set out on OS National Grid (NGR) co- ordinates using Leica GPS and surveyed in accordance with CA Technical Manual 4 Survey Manual. 4.2 All trenches were excavated by mechanical excavator equipped with a toothless grading bucket. All machine excavation was undertaken under constant archaeological supervision to the top of the first significant archaeological horizon or the natural substrate, whichever was encountered first. Where archaeological deposits were encountered they were excavated by hand in accordance with CA Technical Manual 1: Fieldwork Recording Manual. 4.3 Deposits were assessed for their palaeoenvironmental potential